Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions his Department took longer than 30 working days to respond to a freedom of information request in each month since July 2016.

Mr John Hayes: I refer the hon. Member to my Answer of 24 March to UIN 68270.

Diesel Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the effect of diesel car emissions on public health.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is committed to improving the UK’s air quality and reducing the associated health impacts. The UK currently meets legal limits for almost all pollutants; however, reducing levels for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) remains challenging. One of the main reasons for current NO2 levels is the failure of diesel vehicles to deliver expected emission reductions in real world driving conditions. That is why the UK has secured agreement at EU level to introduce more stringent real driving emissions testing for all new cars and vans across the EU from September 2017, ensuring that vehicle manufacturers live up to their low emission credentials. The Government has committed more than £2 billion to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) and support greener transport schemes. In addition, the Chancellor announced a further £290 million to support electric vehicles, low emission buses and taxis, and alternative fuels in the 2016 Autumn Statement. Our air quality plans have always followed the best available evidence. We are currently working on the next steps needed to revise the national air quality plan on nitrogen dioxide. We will set out further measures later this year including a revised air quality plan.

Insurance: Fraud

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of staged car accidents in the latest period for which figures are available and (b) effects of such accidents on (i) car insurance premiums and (ii) other costs to motorists.

Andrew Jones: Information relating to suspected fraudulent car accident claims is held by the insurance industry. The Department has not made an assessment of the number of staged car accidents or their effects on the cost of motoring as we do not hold this data.

Taxis: Assistance Dogs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that assistance dog owners are able to access taxis and minicabs.

Andrew Jones: Drivers of taxis and PHVs must by law carry assistance dogs and cannot charge extra for doing so. It is therefore unacceptable that some drivers continue to discriminate in this way. We aim to consult later this year on revised best practice for licensing authorities which will include strengthened recommendations relating to authorities’ response to alleged instances of assistance dog refusal.

Genecoe

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the details of all payments made by his Department or HS2 Ltd to Genecoe Ltd in each of the last six years.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport has not made any payments to Glencoe during the last six years. The value of payments made directly by HS2 Limited to Genecoe in each of the last 6 calendar years are as follows: YearAmount  2011£49, 734.342012£458,040.132013£98,115.292014£0.002015£0:002016£0.002017 (01 /01/17 -26/03/17)£0.00Total£ 605,889.76

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish a list of the High Speed 2 contracts which were due to be awarded in April 2017 and are now delayed until June 2017 by value of each such contract.

Andrew Jones: No construction contracts that were due to be awarded in April have been delayed until June 2017.

CH2M Hill: Contracts

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2017 to Question 68775, on CH2M Hill: contracts, what questions were raised by the bidder on the decision on the Phase 2b development partner.

Andrew Jones: A number of questions have been raised. The matter remains under discussion between HS2 Ltd and bidders for the contract. HS2 Ltd expects to make an announcement concerning this matter shortly.

Taxis: South Yorkshire

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the specific requirements of South Yorkshire in relation to taxi and private hire licensing; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Jones: The legislation that provides for licensing of taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) services is enabling in its nature, giving local licensing authorities the discretion to set standards that they deem to be appropriate. The Department does not therefore undertake assessments of the licensing requirements of individual authorities. The Government will shortly consult on Statutory Guidance in relation to the protection of children and vulnerable adults when using taxi and PHV services. The adoption of these measures among licensing authorities will be assessed.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Communities and Local Government: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on how many occasions his Department took longer than 30 working days to respond to a freedom of information request in each month since July 2016.

Mr Marcus Jones: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to Question UIN 68038 on 24 March 2017.

Social Services: Finance

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 6.1 of the Spring Budget 2017, what criteria will be used to allocate the additional £2 billion for social care to councils; and when that funding will be made available.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department published the allocations for the distribution of the additional funding for adult social care announced at the Spring Budget 2017 online on 9 March, together with an Explanatory Note concerning distribution. This is available at :https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-allocations-of-the-additional-funding-for-adult-social-care.The funding will be made available from April 2017.

Sleeping Rough

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies findings in the Homelessness Monitor 2017, published by Crisis in March 2017, that (a) rough sleeping has increased by 132 per cent and (b) homeless placements in temporary accommodation have increased by 52 per cent since 2010.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Crisis Homelessness Monitor 2017 presents the challenges of homelessness in the country and is informed in part by data which is collected and published regularly by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).The Government is committed to tackling homelessness and rough sleeping. As the Crisis report acknowledges we are taking action by supporting the Homelessness Reduction Bill which will significantly reform England's homelessness legislation, ensuring that more people get the help they need earlier to prevent them from becoming homeless in the first place.We are also spending £550 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping in England by 2020. This includes our £50 million Homelessness Prevention Programme which will deliver an end-to-end approach to prevention, supporting 84 projects across England, including £30 million to help those who are sleeping rough or new to the streets, or those with the most complex needs, recover from their homelessness.Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and it ensures no family is without a roof over their head. Households now spend on average less time in temporary accommodation than at the start of 2010. We have recently announced the allocations for the DCLG’s new Flexible Homelessness Support Grant which will replace the Department for Work and Pensions Temporary Accommodation Management fee from April this year. This will provide local authorities with greater control and flexibility over homelessness budgets.

Non-domestic Rates: Public Bodies

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2017 to Question 66855, on non-domestic rates: public bodies, if he will estimate the public money used by public bodies to challenge changes to their business rates in relation to his Department's delivery of a fair and consistent business rates system.

Mr Marcus Jones: My Department does not hold data on the amount of public money used by public bodies to challenge their business rates.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2017 to Question 65635, on Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit, what (a) EU agencies and other organisations are within his Department's remit, (b) staff time was spent on engagement with those bodies and (c) financial resources were spent on engagement with those bodies in 2015-16.

Mr Nick Hurd: BEIS and its executive bodies work with a number of EU agencies including the European Chemicals Agency, European Union Intellectual Property Office, European Standardisation Organisations (CEN and CELNEC) and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, amongst others. A full list of EU agencies and bodies can be found on the Commission website https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/agencies_en. We do not disaggregate the time and resource spent on this engagement.

Manufacturing Industries: Employment

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to increase employment in the manufacturing sector; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: Manufacturing accounted for around 2.6 million jobs in 2016 and has been stable around this level since 2010. Through the UK’s new industrial strategy, we are focussed on supporting UK business, including those in the manufacturing sector, to grow and increase productivityWe are working with UK industry to create the right conditions for competitive, world leading manufacturing businesses to flourish and grow across the UK. We are supporting all UK manufacturers by cutting business taxes, slashing red tape and investing in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale. Through our Industrial Strategy, we will make sure that we are using all the tools we have to stimulate growth. That means using our record investments in infrastructure to unlock growth in every part of the country; using the major new investment in research to support innovative manufacturing businesses across the country; and encouraging inward investment into all parts of the country.

Self-employed

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, following the independent self-employment review of February 2016, whether he plans to introduce a legal definition of self-employment.

Margot James: The independent Matthew Taylor review on employment practices in a modern economy is considering the impact of non-standard working arrangements on employment status and employment rights. That review will be reporting in the summer with recommendations which this Government will consider.

Adoption: Self-employed

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, following the independent self-employment review of February 2016, what steps he is taking to introduce a new adoption allowance for self-employed people.

Margot James: The Government will consult in the summer on whether there is a case for greater parity in parental benefits between the employed and the self-employed. Local Authorities may make a payment equivalent to Maternity Allowance in cases where adopters do not qualify for family related statutory pay because they are self-employed. This payment is discretionary and means-tested to ensure that resources are targeted at those adopters who need it most and is part of a package of post-adoption support.

Conditions of Employment: Maternity Rights

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of applying equivalent maternity rights for women in permanent employment to women in casual, fixed-term or zero-hours employment contracts.

Margot James: Holding answer received on 28 March 2017



Entitlement to statutory employment rights, including family related statutory leave and pay, is determined by the individual’s employment status and not the type of contract that they have. This means that many women on casual, fixed-term or zero-hours contracts will already enjoy the same maternity benefits as women in full-time, permanent employment.The wide ranging independent review of Modern Employment Practices is looking at the impact of non-standard forms of employment on security, pay and rights

Gas Fired Power Stations

Amanda Milling: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many megawatts of power generation capacity has been provided to the National Grid from gas powered stations in the UK in each year since 2010.

Jesse Norman: The generation capacity contributed to the National Grid by gas-fired power plant since 2010 can be found below.Year Transmission entry capacity (MW), gas fired plants2010 358052011 341012012 370082013 365112014 354502015 33075Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/540940/DUKES_5.6.xls

Self-employed

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether Matthew Taylor's independent review into modern employment practices will consider whether those moving from employee positions to self-employment are being driven by positive choice or through market forces.

Margot James: The wide ranging independent Review of Employment Practices in the Modern Economy is considering how employment rules need to change to keep pace with changes in the way people work in the modern economy, including the rapid recent growth in self-employment and the shift in business practice from hiring to contracting. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has commissioned new research looking specifically at the gig economy. It will look at the number of individuals working in the gig economy in the UK and the motivations, experiences and skills of these individuals. The research should be ready in the Summer.

Self-employed

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether Matthew Taylor's independent review into modern employment practices will consider whether the recent growth in the self-employed workforce represents a genuine wave of entrepreneurship and a desire for flexible working or a tool for businesses to hold down pay and restrict workers' rights.

Margot James: The wide ranging independent Review of Modern Employment Practices is considering if the current definitions of employment status need to be updated to reflect new forms of working. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has commissioned new research looking specifically at the gig economy. The research will look at the number of individuals working in the gig economy in the UK and the motivations, experiences and skills of these individuals. The research should be ready in the Summer. The Review is also considering to what extent the growth in non-standard forms of employment, including self-employment, undermines the reach of policies like the National Living Wage, pension auto-enrolment, sick pay, and holiday pay.

Self-employed

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether Matthew Taylor's independent review into modern employment practices will consider whether people in self-employment should share the same characteristics of workers and should therefore be entitled to sick pay, annual leave and the national living wage.

Margot James: The current employment framework means a person’s entitlement to employment rights is determined by their employment status. The wide ranging independent Review of Employment Practices in the Modern Economy is considering the impact of non-standard forms of employment on security, pay and rights.

Climate Change: Snow and Ice

Mr Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2017 to Question 66792, on climate change: snow and ice, whether there are declines of snow and ice, other than of Arctic Sea ice extent, that are inconsistent with reasonably expected national variability; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Department does not hold this information, but it can be found in the 5th assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR5). This states that it is likely (greater than 66% probability) there has been human influence on: the observed retreat of glaciers since 1960s; reduction in northern hemisphere snow cover since 1970; and surface melting and mass loss of Greenland since 1993. These declines can be best explained by climate models that include human influences and not natural internal variability alone.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2017 to Question 66594, on energy: meters, whether SMETS1s installed by one energy provider may be operated by any other existing or new provider if the consumer decides to switch provider.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 28 March 2017



The Government’s aim is that smart meters installed by one supplier can be operated by another so that consumers can switch energy supplier readily and retain the benefits of their smart metering service. In some cases, when a consumer switches energy supplier, the new supplier will able to operate the meter in ‘smart’ mode. If the new supplier is not able to operate the meter in 'smart' mode, the meter will continue to accurately record energy consumption and can be used in 'traditional' mode, with meter readings taken manually. Work is underway to make SMETS1 smart meters interoperable between energy suppliers through enrolment the Data and Communication Company’s (DCC) system. Ahead of enrolment in to the DCC, a number of industry parties are exploring approaches to enable more consumers to retain their smart services upon switching.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2017 to Question 66594, on energy: meters, how much has been spent on installing SMETS1 meters; and how many such meters have been installed.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2017 to Question 66594, on energy: meters, how much has been spent on installing SMETS2 meters; and what is the target for the number of such installations.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 28 March 2017



The Government is committed to ensuring that all households and small business sites are offered smart meters by the end of 2020, involving the installation of around 53 million meters in approximately 30 million premises. As of September 2016, 4.36 million smart meters had been installed in homes and businesses in Britain. Energy suppliers are responsible for planning and delivering the roll-out of smart meters, working within the legal framework established by the Government. As a result, the Government does not hold data on expenditure on smart meter installations to date. However, projected costs and benefits for the Smart Metering Programme can be found in our 2016 Cost Benefit Analysis, which is at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smart-meter-roll-out-gb-cost-benefit-analysis. This includes estimates of the costs and benefits incurred until this point.

Carbon Capture and Storage

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the differences in (a) future carbon and capture and storage projections detailed in his Department's publications, Energy and emissions projections 2015 and (b) Energy and emissions projections 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Energy and Emissions Projections 2015 assumed carbon capture and storage (CCS) generation from 2025. The Energy and Emissions Projections 2016 take into account the ending of the CCS Competition in November 2015, and assumes that CCS will not come on in any significant capacity over the period of this modelling to 2035.

Combined Heat and Power

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what evaluation his Department has made of the overall efficiency of a combined heat and power plant.

Jesse Norman: Combined heat and power (CHP) plants use a range of technologies, which can offer efficiency savings of up to 30% compared to the separate generation of heat and electricity. Their efficiency varies depending on the particular technologies used and how they are operated. The CHP Quality Assurance Scheme assesses plants’ energy efficiency to ensure all those benefitting from government support meet a minimum level.

Steam Engines: Renewable Energy

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to continue support for the production of steam from renewable energy sources used for industrial applications.

Jesse Norman: Support for the production of steam from renewable energy sources used for industrial applications is provided through the Renewable Heat Incentive. As set out in the 2015 Autumn Statement, the budget for the Renewable Heat Incentive has been confirmed to financial year 2020/21.

Combined Heat and Power

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to the combined heat and power tariff from 10 to 20 per cent efficiency on the (a) use and (b) price of energy generated by Organic Rankine Cycle turbines.

Jesse Norman: The Renewable Heat Incentive consultation on support for Biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant closed on 10 March. This consultation proposed changing the current 10% power efficiency requirement for biomass CHP plants applying to the RHI scheme to a 20% power efficiency requirement. The consultation can be found here.Annex A to the consultation document contained an assessment of impacts for the proposed change.

Carers: Leave

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will consider making provision for grandparents and other carers to be entitled to up to 10 days statutory leave to provide emergency care for a grandchild or other dependant.

Margot James: Workers in the UK are entitled to a minimum of 28 days paid annual leave if they work full time and a proportionate amount if they work part time. Grandparents may also be able exercise the Right to Time Off for Dependents which allows employees to take a reasonable amount of time off work to deal with certain unexpected or sudden emergencies involving a dependant and to put care arrangements in place.The Government is developing a new national Carers Strategy, which will consider the range of issues faced by people who provide unpaid care for a relative, friend or someone close to them.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Internet

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the five most visited websites were by staff of his Department in the last year for which figures are available.

Margot James: The five most visited websites by staff of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from September 2016 to March 2017 wereintranet.beis.gov.ukbbc.co.uktwitter.comtheguardian.combeis.manhattan-online.com (this is a room booking system for the Department). The information provided also includes staff of the Department of International Trade as the IT system is shared between the two departments.

Energy: Meters

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of every home having a smart meter by 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government is committed to ensuring that every home and small business in the country is offered a smart meter the end of 2020. Energy suppliers’ licence conditions require them to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to roll-out smart meters to all their domestic and non-domestic customers by 31 December 2020. Ofgem is responsible for regulating energy suppliers against that obligation.

Parental Leave: Grandparents

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to open a consultation on parental leave for grandparents.

Margot James: The Government is exploring options for supporting working families and we will bring forward proposals in due course.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Saudi Arabia: Prisoners

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Arabian counterpart on the cases of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdullah al-Zaher.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​The UK remains concerned about cases of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdullah al-Zaher. Our Embassy in Riyadh last raised the three men's cases on 19 January 2017 and our expectation remains that they will not be executed. We will continue to closely follow their cases.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions his Department took longer than 30 working days to respond to a freedom of information request in each month since July 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer of 23 March 2017 in response to Written Question 68044.

Burma: Rohingya

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of whether the Burmese Government's domestic process for investigating claims of sexual violence by Burmese security forces against Rohingya Muslim women is consistent with the standards set out in the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Alok Sharma: The Government of Burma is conducting a national investigation into reports of human rights abuses, including reports of sexual violence, perpetrated by the Burmese security forces in Rakhine State since October 2016. The Rakhine Investigation Commission's interim report of 3 January concluded that there was insufficient evidence to take legal action. We have made clear that we do not find the Rakhine Investigation's interim findings credible.We are aware of reports which suggest weaknesses in the Commission's composition and approach. The International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict sets out minimum basic principles and international best practice for such investigations, and we encourage its use. However, it is not intended to insist on a universal legal or professional standard.The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns visited Burma in November, and pressed the Minister of Defence on the importance of transparency and accountability in their field.

Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to host another Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: This year marks five years since the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative was founded. The 2014 Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict was the biggest Summit of its kind. Significant progress has been made since 2012, including through:training over 17,000 military and police personnel;deploying the UK Team of Experts over 85 times;funding of over £35 million to support more than 70 projects in 26 countries to provide capacity building on advocacy, protection, survivor support, evidence gathering, judicial reform, prosecution and reparations work.The British Government will host an international meeting in 2019 to review commitments made at the 2014 Summit and galvanise further international action and commitment. The 2019 meeting will focus on what further action is needed to end sexual violence in conflict, including how we can further support survivors and tackle the stigma and negative attitudes associated with sexual violence.

Department for International Development

Israel: Palestinians

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to projects facilitating peaceful co-existence between Palestinians and Israelis.

Rory Stewart: DFID is developing a programme of support for people-to-people projects in Israel and the OPTs. UK support will help Israelis and Palestinians work together to achieve tangible improvements in their lives and build understanding between people on both sides of the conflict. The programme is aiming for launch at the beginning of next financial year.

Developing Countries: Economic Growth

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to promote economic development in developing countries.

Priti Patel: The way to end poverty and aid dependency is through inclusive economic growth, jobs, investment and trade. I recently launched DFID’s Economic Development Strategy which sets out my Department’s commitment to this agenda and the steps we are taking to deliver our priorities. Stronger economic development will enable the poorest countries to stand on their own two feet and is firmly in the UK’s national interest.

Developing Countries: Economic Growth

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to promote economic development in developing countries.

Priti Patel: The way to end poverty and aid dependency is through inclusive economic growth, jobs, investment and trade. I recently launched DFID’s Economic Development Strategy which sets out my Department’s commitment to this agenda and the steps we are taking to deliver our priorities. Stronger economic development will enable the poorest countries to stand on their own two feet and is firmly in the UK’s national interest.

Developing Countries: Equality

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to the UN's Step It Up for Gender Equality initiative.

James Wharton: We support UN Women as an important partner for the UK. As the campaign asks, we have put gender equality and the empowerment of women at the heart of our development policy and programming, and are achieving impressive results for women and girls at scale.

Developing Countries: Children

Mims Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to tackle child exploitation in developing countries.

James Wharton: Protecting children is at the very heart of my department’s work. We have increased our efforts to directly tackle the exploitation of children, combatting the worst forms of child labour as part of the Prime Minister’s Modern Slavery agenda, and seeking to prevent violence and abuse against children in every setting.

Overseas Aid

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much and what proportion of the Official Development Assistance budget will be spent by her Department in 2017.

Rory Stewart: We will honour our commitment to 0.7 per cent. Based on the Spending Review 2015 settlement, DFID will spend around 72 per cent of UK ODA in this financial year.

Overseas Aid

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure value for money of UK aid through strengthened monitoring.

Priti Patel: I am very clear that every pound of UK aid should go on saving and improving the lives of the poorest people in the world. All DFID projects are measured against a robust monitoring framework to ensure they remain cost effective. DFID also supports other aid spending departments, who are responsible for ensuring value for money and effective monitoring of their own aid spend.

Developing Countries: Tax Collection

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help developing countries raise more tax revenue.

James Wharton: Britain is one of the leading donors helping developing countries to raise more tax revenue. The UK has committed to doubling its efforts on tax capacity building by 2020, in line with commitments made in the Addis Tax Initiative. We are working closely with Treasury and HMRC to assist partner countries, donors and international organisations to make rapid progress together.

Department for Education

Schools: Yorkshire and the Humber

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 4.14 of the Spring Budget 2017, what estimate she has made of how much of £216 million funding for school maintenance will be allocated to (a) Leeds East constituency, (b) Leeds and (c) Yorkshire.

Nick Gibb: It is not possible to provide an estimate of the geographical distribution of the £216 million funding for school maintenance. The Department for Education is considering options for how best to target this funding to existing schools in poor condition across the country.Leeds East is part of Leeds local authority, which is receiving condition funding of £10.7 million this financial year (2016-17). In total, the Yorkshire and the Humber region is receiving condition funding totalling £74.9 million this financial year.[1]The additional £216 million takes total investment in school condition to well over £10 billion in this Parliament. As part of this the £4.4 billion Priority School Building Programme is rebuilding or refurbishing those school buildings in the worst condition across the country. Overall 58 schools in Yorkshire and the Humber were successful in their applications to the programme, two of which are in Leeds.Details on current and future school condition allocations are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocationsDetails on successful applications to the Priority School Building Programme Phases 1 and 2 are published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/psbp-list-of-successful-applicantshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-school-building-programme-2-list-of-successful-schools   [1] These amounts include Devolved Formula Capital which is allocated directly to schools, but do not include allocations made to academies or Multi Academy Trusts in the area. As Trusts often allocate funding across local authority boundaries, it is not possible to calculate total condition funding for a local area.

Priority School Building Programme

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding has been allocated to the Priority School Building Programme in each year of the current spending period.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to item 3 in table 2.1 of the Spring Budget 2017, how the school capital funding will be allocated.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total amount of capital spending on the free schools programme will be in each of the next five fiscal years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education will invest over £24 billion on school buildings between 2016-17 and 2020-21 financial years, which includes funding for new school places, including the free schools programme, and funding to maintain and improve the condition of the school estate, including the Priority School Building Programme. The Department confirms annual funding allocations for specific programmes in the spring for the financial year ahead, based on the latest forecasts of programme delivery.The Department’s Supplementary Estimate Memorandum for 2016-17 financial year sets the budget for the Priority School Building Programme as £1,030 million and that for Free Schools, University Technical Colleges and Studio Schools as £1,116 million. Spending plans for 2017-18 will be published alongside the forthcoming 2017-18 Main Estimate. The Memorandum is available here:https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/Department-for-Education-Supplementary-Estimate-2016-17-Memorandum.pdfDetailed spending plans for future financial years will be set out in future Main and Supplementary Estimates. This will include the Department’s plans for the £216 million funding for school maintenance referred to in table 2.1 of the Spring Budget 2017.[1]   [1] The £230 million referred to in item 3 of the table includes Barnett consequentials.

English Baccalaureate

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on implementing the English Baccalaureate which closed on 29 January 2016.

Nick Gibb: The English Baccalaureate provides the right foundation for most pupils, and we want to see a significant increase in the proportion of pupils in mainstream secondary schools entering the English Baccalaureate subjects at GCSE. We are carefully considering the consultation responses and will publish the Government response in due course.

Modern Greek Language: GCE A-level

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, (a) how many and (b) which state schools entered candidates for A-level Greek in 2015-16.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of A level entries to Modern and Classical Greek by students at the end of advanced level study in 2015/16 is published at school level in the performance tables underlying data download file[1]There were 54 state funded schools with pupils at the end of advanced level study in the 2015/16 academic year with A level entries to modern or classical Greek. A list of these schools is provided in the table below.Local AuthorityURNSchool or college nameSchool or college typeA level entries inCamden100054The Camden School for GirlsVoluntary Aided SchoolClassical GreekLambeth100638Bishop Thomas Grant Catholic Secondary SchoolVoluntary Aided SchoolModern GreekBarnet101361St Michael's Catholic Grammar SchoolVoluntary Aided SchoolModern GreekBarnet101365Bishop Douglass School FinchleyVoluntary Aided SchoolModern GreekBromley101676St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar SchoolVoluntary Aided SchoolClassical GreekEnfield102047Southgate SchoolCommunity SchoolModern GreekEnfield102049Chace Community SchoolCommunity SchoolModern GreekEnfield102055The Latymer SchoolVoluntary Aided SchoolModern GreekBirmingham103560Bishop Challoner Catholic CollegeVoluntary Aided SchoolModern GreekNewcastle upon Tyne108524Walbottle CampusCommunity SchoolModern GreekDorset113854Ferndown Upper SchoolCommunity SchoolModern GreekBrighton and Hove114607Hove Park School and Sixth Form CentreCommunity SchoolModern GreekGloucestershire115758Rednock SchoolFoundation SchoolModern GreekEast Riding of Yorkshire118075Withernsea High SchoolCommunity SchoolModern GreekKent118840Simon Langton Girls' Grammar SchoolVoluntary Controlled SchoolClassical GreekStaffordshire124407Westwood CollegeFoundation SchoolModern GreekEnfield132256Highlands SchoolCommunity SchoolModern GreekLewisham135073Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham CollegeSponsored AcademyClassical GreekBristol, City of135581Colston's Girls' SchoolSponsored AcademyModern GreekHertfordshire135876Francis Combe AcademySponsored AcademyModern GreekBarnet136308Ashmole AcademyConverter AcademyModern GreekLincolnshire136358Branston Community AcademyConverter AcademyModern GreekBuckinghamshire136419Dr Challoner's Grammar SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekBedford136470Sharnbrook Upper SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekKent136581Valley Park SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekWarwickshire136587Ashlawn SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekHertfordshire136607The John Warner SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekKingston upon Thames136615The Tiffin Girls' SchoolConverter AcademyClassical GreekGloucestershire136623Chosen Hill SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekBarnet136658East Barnet SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekMilton Keynes136730Shenley Brook End SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekLancashire136742Lancaster Royal Grammar SchoolConverter AcademyClassical GreekSutton136785Cheam High SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekSutton136795Nonsuch High School for GirlsConverter AcademyClassical GreekSutton136800Greenshaw High SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekKingston upon Thames136910Tiffin SchoolConverter AcademyClassical GreekHammersmith and Fulham137157The London Oratory SchoolConverter AcademyClassical GreekHarrow137177Harrow High SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekWarwickshire137302King Edward VI SchoolConverter AcademyClassical GreekWest Berkshire137465St Bartholomew's SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekSefton137520Maghull High SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekBrent137685Kingsbury High SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekEssex137790Plume SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekEssex137814Colchester Royal Grammar SchoolConverter AcademyClassical GreekOxfordshire137936Chipping Norton SchoolConverter AcademyClassical GreekBrent137994Convent of Jesus and Mary Language CollegeConverter AcademyModern GreekBarnet138051The Henrietta Barnett SchoolConverter AcademyClassical GreekBournemouth138385LeAF StudioStudio SchoolModern GreekBirmingham138136The Arthur Terry SchoolConverter AcademyModern GreekWandsworth138682Southfields AcademyConverter AcademyModern GreekSunderland139538St Aidan's Catholic AcademyConverter AcademyModern GreekPlymouth140104Eggbuckland Community CollegeConverter AcademyModern GreekCoventry140248President Kennedy School AcademyConverter AcademyModern GreekCoventry140961WMG Academy for Young EngineersUniversity Technical CollegeModern Greek[1] https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/download-data?currentstep=datatypes&regiontype=all&la=0&downloadYear=2015-2016&datatypes=ks5underlying

Primary Education: Assessments

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools undertook reception baseline assessments in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Nick Gibb: (a) For the 2015 to 2016 academic year, 15,241 schools submitted data to the Department for Education in relation to reception baseline assessment. (b) For the 2016 to 2017, to date, 3,901 schools have submitted data in relation to reception baseline assessment.

Primary Education: Assessments

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will outline the process by which the GL Assessment reception baseline for use in the academic year 2016-17 was approved by her Department.

Nick Gibb: GL Assessment, along with five other approved suppliers, was appointed to provide the reception baseline assessment in 2015-16 as part of an open procurement process. Of these six suppliers, only three achieved sufficient order volumes to proceed to delivery. When the decision was taken that reception baseline assessment would not be used as the baseline for progress measures in 2016-17, after the comparability study, the volume requirement was removed and schools were free to choose from any approved supplier. GL Assessment, along with three other suppliers from the original procurement, opted to offer a reception baseline scheme.

Academies: Sponsorship

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many independent schools currently sponsor academies; what independent schools sponsor academies; and which academies each such independent school sponsors.

Nick Gibb: As of 3 March 2017, eight organisations have been set up by independent schools for the purpose of sponsoring academies. They currently sponsor 11 academies in total.Three free schools are sponsored by independent schools.The following table contains the names of the relevant academies, the sponsor organisations to which they are linked, and the relevant independent school(s) that originally established the sponsor organisation. Academy NameSponsor nameIndependent School/ Independent School OrganisationOrchard Meadow Primary SchoolBlackbird Academy TrustDragon SchoolWindale Community Primary SchoolBlackbird Academy TrustDragon SchoolTheale Green SchoolBradfield CollegeBradfield CollegeThe Bourne AcademyCanford SchoolCanford SchoolBirkenhead High School AcademyGirls' Day School Trust (GDST)Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) – umbrella body of independent schoolsThe Belvedere AcademyGirls' Day School Trust (GDST)Girls' Day School Trust (GDST) – umbrella body of independent schoolsHaileybury TurnfordHaileybury Academy TrustHaileybury and Imperial Service CollegeMessing Primary SchoolNew Hall Academy TrustNew Hall SchoolThe Steiner Academy HerefordSteiner WaldorfSteiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship – umbrella body of independent schoolsWellington Primary AcademyWellington CollegeWellington CollegeThe Wellington AcademyWellington CollegeWellington College The following table contains the names of the relevant free schools and the sponsoring independent schools. Free School NameIndependent School/ Independent School OrganisationNew Islington Free SchoolManchester Grammar SchoolLondon Academy of ExcellenceBrighton College & a consortium of Eton College, Highgate School, City of London SchoolHolyport Free SchoolEton College

Social Mobility

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish a response to the Social Mobility Commission's policy paper State of the nation 2016: social mobility in Great Britain, published on 16 November 2016; and which of that paper's recommendations her Department plans to implement.

Nick Gibb: We welcome the Social Mobility Commission’s report. We are considering carefully the report’s analysis and findings as we further develop policy to address the barriers to social mobility.Thanks to the Government’s reforms, almost 1.8 million more pupils today have a place in a school that is good or better. We have also set out proposals to increase the number of good school places available, in more parts of the country, so that more children including those from disadvantaged backgrounds can benefit from a great education, by scrapping the ban on new selective school places and harnessing the expertise and resources of our universities and our independent and faith schools.The Social Mobility Commission’s analysis has provided an important input to our understanding of the geography of social mobility; and we are also now working with 12 Opportunity Areas, all identified as social mobility coldspots by the Commission to understand how we can address the barriers to social mobility from the early years to adulthood.Through our plans to create more good school places and transform teaching, combined with new legislation to support greater access to university and investment in technical education, we aim to ensure that where a student comes from does not determine where they get to in life. We will continue to set out further details on the Department’s approach to improving social mobility in due course.

Two Trees School Denton

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2016 to Question 42557, on the Two Trees School, Denton, whether a section 77 application from Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council has yet been received; and if she or officials of her Department will meet the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish to discuss that matter.

Nick Gibb: The Education Funding Agency (EFA) received a section 77 application from Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council on 15 March 2017. The application is currently being reviewed by officials at the EFA. The Secretary of State will also consider the recommendation from the School Playing Fields Advisory Panel before making her final decision. She has therefore asked the official dealing with the application to contact the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish to discuss this matter when they have completed their initial review.

Schools: Asbestos

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the accuracy of information provided by (a) schools, (b) local authorities and (c) academy trusts in response to freedom of information requests related to asbestos exposure.

Nick Gibb: The Department takes the issue of asbestos in schools very seriously. We have recently updated and improved our published guidance for schools, which clearly states that if accidental exposure to asbestos has occurred, the duty holder must inform the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE may investigate if major issues are raised where a duty holder’s compliance with their legal duties is called into question.We also recently carried out a data collection in schools on how they manage asbestos to understand how they were complying with their duties, and have published the findings. We plan to seek further assurances from duty holders to ensure that asbestos management is compliant with legislation and guidance across their education estates.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the announcement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget Statement, 16 March 2016, Official Report, column 963, on a fair national funding formula, how £500 million of funding has been allocated to date; and how much is allocated for future spending.

Nick Gibb: We have protected school funding so the amount per pupil remains the same during this Parliament. We will be spending an additional £500 million over and above this amount as we introduce the national funding formula. Of this £500 million, we are spending an extra £200 million a year in 2018-19 and 2019-20 on schools. This allows us to combine increases in funding of up to 5.5% in the first two years of the national funding formula with significant protection for those schools due to lose funding. Funding for pupils with a high level of special educational needs is also increasing, which allows us to provide increases of up to 6% in the first two years of the funding formula and protection so that no local authority loses any funding for high needs.

GCE A-level

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received on the availability of resources and revision materials to students taking reformed A-Level courses.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Department for Education: Brexit

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2017 to Question 65639, on Department for Education: Brexit, what (a) EU agencies and other organisations are within her Department's remit, (b) staff time was spent on engagement with those bodies and (c) financial resources were spent on engagement with those bodies in 2015-16.

Caroline Dinenage: The below EU agencies are within this Department's remit. This Department engages with a range of stakeholders. We do not disaggregate the time and resource spent on this engagement. - European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop).- European Training Foundation (ETF).

Apprentices: Taxation

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many large businesses have registered to access funds under the apprenticeship levy in each NUTS 1 region; and what proportion of apprenticeships does this represent in each region.

Robert Halfon: The apprenticeship levy, being introduced on 6 April 2017 will fund a step change in apprenticeship numbers and quality. It will apply across the UK and will be collected from employers on a UK wide basis. In England, levy paying employers will be able to access their funds through the apprenticeship service to pay for apprenticeship training and assessment. Employers will benefit from a 10% top up to monthly funds entering an account. As of the close of play 20 March 2017, there have been 3,290 accounts registered on the apprenticeship service.It is not possible to produce a representation of the proportion of apprenticeship starts by levy paying employers on a regional basis in England. This is because the PAYE system, through which employers will pay the levy, does not record the place of work of individuals and many levy paying employers have employees working in a variety of locations across the UK. Availability of apprenticeships is dependent on employers recruiting apprentices and offering opportunities in order to get the skills they need. Published data on apprenticeships starts by region is available on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/586183/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xlsx

Education Funding Agency: Buildings

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2016 to Question 45976 on Education Funding Agency: buildings, what progress her Department has made on determining the future use of the former East Ham police station.

Nick Gibb: The Department acquired the former East Ham Police Station for a free school and has every intention to use this site for a school. We are considering the latest set of free school applications in the area and we continue to review the options for this site.

Primary Education: Internet

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of provision in primary schools of teaching for children on how to stay safe online.

Nick Gibb: The new computing curriculum, introduced from September 2014, introduces pupils to aspects of cyber security from an early age. The curriculum introduces e-safety from Key Stage 1, reflecting the fact that children are increasingly accessing the internet from a young age. All maintained primary schools must follow this curriculum, and academies and free schools can use it as a benchmark.The ‘Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance for schools sets out that governing bodies and proprietors should ensure children are taught about safeguarding, including online. In addition, schools are encouraged to make provision for personal social, health and economic education (PSHE) as part of their wider curriculum. High quality PSHE teaching has a vital role in preparing children for adulthood, including safe and respectful use of online technology.

Department for Education: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions her Department took longer than 30 working days to respond to a freedom of information request in each month since July 2016.

Caroline Dinenage: I refer the hon. Member to my Answer of 22 March 2017 to 68041.

Special Educational Needs

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what specialist training is provided to teachers in (a) initial teacher training and (b) ongoing personal development to support children with special needs.

Nick Gibb: All initial teacher training (ITT) courses must ensure that trainee teachers can meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. The standards require trainees to have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).We are funding a consortium of sector organisations, the Whole School SEND Consortium, to help schools embed good practice, access school to school support, and share best practice in relation to the teaching of pupils with specific conditions. This will help teachers identify pupils with SEND and use effective interventions to improve educational outcomes for them.Between 2009 and 2014, the Department funded almost 11,000 new school based special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) to undertake the master's-level National Award for SEN coordination. We are now reviewing the National Award for SEN coordination and as part of this review are considering whether to extend the award to SENCOs in further education and early years.

Schools: Transport

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to hold a consultation on proposals to extend free transport to students studying at selective schools.

Nick Gibb: Our ‘Schools that Work for Everyone’ consultation included proposals on how we might remove barriers to poorer households considering selective education by providing financial support for transport and uniforms. We are currently analysing all responses to the consultation and expect to publish our response in the spring. The Chancellor also announced, in his budget statement of 8 March, additional funding for ‘extended rights’ to free transport to selective schools for pupils from low income families. Once our proposals are agreed they will be included in our transport guidance for schools and local authorities on which we will consult.

Schools: City of York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time equivalent (a) teachers, (b) teaching assistants and (c) support staff there were in local authority schools in the City of York in each year since 2005.

Nick Gibb: The following table provides the number of full-time equivalent teachers, teaching assistants and support staff in schools in York local authority in each year from 2005 to 2015. York Local Authority[1] TeachersTeaching AssistantsSupport Staff20051,39044027020061,37050029020071,40052033020081,36056035020091,3405903302010[2]1,250480..20111,27063045020121,36068052020131,24058043020141,36072051020151,180630480Source: School Workforce Census, Form 618g and the School Census.  [1] Between 2005 and 2009 the full-time equivalent number of school teachers was collected by Form 618g and the full-time equivalent number of teaching assistants and support staff were collected by the School Census. From 2010 onwards, information on all school employees was collected in the annual School Workforce Census.[2] The hours worked by school support staff were not collected in the 2010 School Workforce Census so a full-time equivalent figure is not available.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.6 of her Department's consultation, Schools national funding formula, Government consultation - stage 2, what the evidential basis is for the assessment of cost pressures on schools.

Nick Gibb: School funding is at its highest level on record at more than £40bn in 2016-17 - and that is set to rise, as pupil numbers rise over the next two years, to £42 billion by 2019-20. Analysis by the Institute for Financial Studies (IFS) has also shown that spending per pupil almost doubled in real terms between 1997 and 2016. We recognise that schools are facing cost pressures, and we estimate that, nationally, they amount to approximately an 8% cumulative pressure, per pupil, between the start of 2016-17 and 2019-20. It is important to note that some of these pressures have already materialised; 8% is not an estimate of pressures still to come. Over the next three years, per pupil pressures will, on average, be between 1.5-1.6%, each year. The National Audit Office report on the Financial Sustainability of Schools details the level of costs pressures on schools, based on the Department’s estimates: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Financial-sustainability-of-schools.pdf We will continue to provide advice and support to help them use their funding in cost effective ways, and improve the way they buy goods and services, so‎ they get the best possible value for their pupils. We have produced tools, information and guidance for schools financial health and efficiency, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency.

Teachers: Older Workers

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers over the age of 60 were employed in schools in 2015-16.

Nick Gibb: In November 2015, there were 10,500 equivalent teachers aged 60 and over employed in state funded schools in England. This represents 2.3 percent of all full-time equivalent teachers in England. These figures are derived from the November 2015 School Workforce Census.

Teachers: Older Workers

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the numbers of teachers aged over 60 taking up new posts within schools in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of teachers taking up new posts is not available. The following table provides the number and percentage of full-time equivalent teachers aged 60 and over in each year between 2011 and 2015. FTE Teachers aged 60 and over (thousands)Percentage of all FTE Teachers aged 60 and over201110.82.5201211.02.5201311.52.6201410.92.4201510.52.3Source: School Workforce Census

Teachers: Older Workers

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of teachers in (a) Sheffield, (b) Yorkshire and (c) the UK are over 60-years old.

Nick Gibb: In November 2015, 1.4% of full-time equivalent teachers employed in state funded schools in Sheffield were aged 60 and over. This compares with 1.7% of teachers in Yorkshire and 2.3% of teachers in England.These figures are derived from the November 2015 School Workforce Census.

Ministry of Justice

Offenders: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of (a) community sentences and (b) suspended prison sentences included a Mental Health Treatment Requirement in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The table shows the proportion of offenders starting (a) community orders or (b) suspended sentence orders under probation supervision in each year since 2010 where a mental health treatment requirement was attached to the order.  Community orderSuspended sentence orderYearPercentage20100.60.520110.50.520120.50.420130.60.520140.70.620150.50.5 We need a more systematic, nationally consistent approach that provides quicker and more certain access to mental health treatment for offenders who need it. This will stop offenders getting into a position which leads to a custodial sentence. The Justice Secretary is working closely with the Health Secretary who is extremely committed to this and NHS England to develop a new mental health protocol. This will ensure timely access to mental health services where the courts impose a mental health treatment requirement as part of a sentence. The Justice Secretary is also working with the Judiciary and the Health Secretary to make sure courts have better access to psychologists to diagnose and oversee treatment of offenders.

Ministry of Justice: Brexit

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2017 to Question 65647, on Ministry of Justice: Brexit, what (a) EU agencies and other organisations are within her Department's remit, (b) staff time was spent on engagement with those bodies and (c) financial resources were spent on engagement with those bodies in 2015-16.

Sir Oliver Heald: The below EU agencies are within this department’s remit;Fundamental Rights Agency  This department engages with a range of stakeholders. We do not disaggregate the time and resource spent on this engagement.

Rape: Sentencing

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of sentence handed down to a person convicted of rape was in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The average length of custodial sentence for rape, in England and Wales, from 2011 to 2015, can be found in the ‘Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly: December 2015’ which can be found on Gov.uk. Rape carries a maximum penalty of a life sentence. Indeterminate sentences such as life sentences are specifically excluded from the average custodial sentence length calculation.

Prison Officers

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance her Department has issued on what prisoner to staff ratio in prisons is safe.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is committed to ensuring our prisons are places of safety and reform. As part of a major overhaul of the prison system, the Government has committed to recruiting 2,500 extra frontline officers, and it has already achieved its target of recruiting 400 extra staff in ten of the most challenging prisons by March 2017. As part of this investment in extra staff, we are introducing key workers who will be prison officers to whom prisoners will be able to turn to for advice and support throughout their sentence. It is planned that each prison officer will have a case load of approximately 6 prisoners for whom they will be the dedicated officer.

Prisons: Industrial Health and Safety

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mechanisms exist for prison officers and their representatives to raise health and safety concerns in prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Prison Service is committed to providing safe, decent and secure places of work and takes the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees extremely seriously. There are a number of different mechanisms that exist for prison officers and their representatives to raise health and safety concerns in prisons. These include:Raising their concerns with line managers or the managers in chargeRaising their concerns with their establishment health and safety advisorRequesting that an issue is put on the agenda at their local establishment health and safety committeeIf concerns remain then there is an escalation process and prison officers and their representatives can:Raise their concerns with the relevant regional health, safety and fire teamRaise their concerns with the national health, safety and fire teamRequest that an issue is put on the agenda of the national Occupational Health, Safety and Fire Whitley Committee In addition to the internal mechanisms prison officers and their representatives can also raise their health and safety concerns with the Health and Safety Executive.

Prison Accommodation: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Welsh prison estate has sufficient capacity for the number of convicted offenders in Wales.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to ensure there is an opportunity for (a) Parliamentary, (b) local community scrutiny of her Department's plans for a new prison in Port Talbot; and if she will make a statement.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with (a) the Welsh Government, (b) Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and (c) local community groups on the construction of a new prison in Port Talbot.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is investing £1.3bn to build up to 10,000 new prison places with better education facilities and other rehabilitative services. As part of this programme, HM Prison Berwyn, a new rehabilitative male prison in North Wales, opened at the end of February 2017, providing 2,106 modern and efficient prison places. On 22 March 2017, my Rt Hon friend, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice announced plans for the building of four new prisons in England and Wales, replacing old and overcrowded establishments with new, and fit for purpose buildings. The plans include a new prison in Port Talbot in South Wales. The Ministry of Justice has had a number of discussions with the Welsh Government and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council in developing its plans for the Port Talbot site. The Government welcomes feedback on the development of its plans for the prison estate and will undertake public engagement events in Port Talbot. Opportunities for local residents, businesses and stakeholders to provide additional feedback is also available through the formal local planning application process. We will work with Parliamentary and Welsh Assembly colleagues in the development of these plans.

Ministry of Defence

Army: Reorganisation

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which infantry units have been identified for an increase in strength as part of Army 2020 Refine.

Mike Penning: The table below sets out the Regular and Reserve infantry battalions that will receive increases in manpower liability as a part of the Army 2020 Refine announcement made by by my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary on 15 December 2016 (HCWS367). Battalion 1st Battalion the Scots Guards364th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland53rd Battalion The Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment64th Battalion The Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment4191st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment684th Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment1131st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers45th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers1131st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment682nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment483rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment1131st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment162nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment484th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment1131st Battalion The Mercian Regiment42nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment684th Battalion The Mercian Regiment63rd Battalion The Royal Welsh62nd Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment934th Battalion The Parachute Regiment128The London Regiment63rd Battalion The Rifles1647th Battalion The Rifles68th Battalion The Rifles419

Army: Reorganisation

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which units will be reduced in strength as part of Army 2020 Refine; and by how many personnel.

Mike Penning: Service personnel in units that are being disbanded or reduced will be redistributed to other similar units. The table below sets out the Regular and Reserve units that will receive reductions in manpower liability as a part of the Army 2020 Refine announcement made on 15 December 2016 (HCWS367) by my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary. The liability data provided is for internal Army planning purposes and is subject to regular review.   UnitThe King’s Royal Hussars541st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery1285th Regiment Royal Artillery919th Regiment Royal Artillery11826th Regiment Royal Artillery14832nd Regiment Royal Artillery417101st Regiment Royal Artillery6035 Engineer Regiment623Headquarters 64 Works Group53170 (Infrastructure Support) Engineer Group91st Battalion the Welsh Guards201st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland2941st Battalion The Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment1002nd Battalion The Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment2942nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment2944th Battalion The Rifles4421 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps1206 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps8427 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps2302 Medical Regiment3943 Medical Regiment333 Field Hospital975 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers52104 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers383105 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers383106 Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers3834th Regiment Royal Military Police27Special Investigation Branch Regiment13 



Stragetic Defence and Security Review: Army
(Word Document, 35.44 KB)

Armed Forces: Health Education

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what advice his Department gives to military personnel on alcohol intake and good health.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides a package of measures to educate Service personnel on the dangers of alcohol misuse to help them make informed decisions, and has introduced extensive policy and guidance for Commanding Officers. Each Service has a clear substance misuse education and training policy. We believe personnel have the necessary information to allow them to make informed decisions, but the focus of all activities is to encourage a sensible social approach to alcohol consumption.The Department has also established a working group to look at the research outcomes and identify key policy or behavioural changes to support the reduction in alcohol misuse. The working group has introduced a number of initiatives to promote a sensible attitude to alcohol and encourage all Service personnel to take responsibility for their own actions. An alcohol strategy is being developed along four lines; Prevention, Intervention, Protection and Engagement. The emphasis will be on good leadership and role modelling behaviour at all levels as well as supporting alcohol-free social and leisure initiatives, and ensuring alternative options are available to support individuals to make informed choices. The MOD has also entered into a partnership with DrinkAware to identify methods to increase awareness of the dangers of alcohol misuse across the Armed Forces.

Detainees: Children

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 78 of the concluding observations of the UK's report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, published in June 2016, whether the recommendations will be applied to minors in detention in the armed forces.

Mark Lancaster: The age of criminal responsibility among Service personnel reflects, where applicable, the definition used by the civilian justice system (CJS). The single Services have appropriate measures in place for dealing with juveniles within the Service justice system (SJS) which mirror the CJS. For example, the requirement for the provision of an appropriate adult for a juvenile is detailed within the Service Police Codes of Practice in a manner identical to the civilian police PACE Codes of Practice. In addition, the military chain of command always provides an assisting officer to any Service person facing disciplinary action, irrespective of age. All criminal records are uploaded on to the police national computer and maintained in accordance with the Home Office rules and procedures set for that system. The SJS uses the law of England and Wales for criminal offences, via the Armed Forces Act 2006. In doing so, the Service judiciary utilise the sentencing guidelines set within the CJS. The SJS has a range of sentencing options available, which can include a period of detention. Detention is only used when it is deemed necessary, proportionate and a lawful outcome within the sentencing guidelines. Whilst there are additional Service offences within the Armed Forces Act 2006 bespoke to the SJS, none of these carry a life sentence. When held at the Military Training and Corrective Centre (MCTC), detainees aged 16 years are always accommodated separately from adults. Detainees aged 17 years of age are accommodated in accordance with a detailed risk assessment and their own accommodation preference. There are currently no detainees aged under 18 at the MCTC. In the past five years, only four detainees have been under 18 years of age and none of them have been held in solitary confinement. The MCTC is subject to inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons and at the last inspection in December 2014 was given the highest possible rating for its treatment of under 18s.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the decision was taken to purchase the P-8A Poseidon aircraft with the same configuration as those operated by the US Navy.

Harriett Baldwin: The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 indicated our intention to procure the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and approval for the acquisition, through a Foreign Military Sale arrangement with the United States Government, occured in July 2016.

Ministry of Defence: Animal Welfare

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the welfare of regimental animals in the armed forces; and if he will make it his policy to ensure that regimental animals are properly looked after once they have left active service.

Mark Lancaster: There are currently nine regimental mascots within Her Majesty's Armed Forces, all of them in the Army. Like all animals employed within Defence, each regimental mascot is provided with food, bedding, veterinary services and reasonable accommodation. Professional veterinary advice is provided in relation to each animal's health and welfare needs and each is subject to annual inspection by a veterinary officer. All mascots are cared for by the regiments they serve. Most serve until they are deceased, however for those that do retire, a suitable home is found.

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been paid by his Department to which companies through single source contracts.

Harriett Baldwin: Information about the non-competitive contracts that the Ministry of Defence has awarded is published on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-trade-industry-and-contracts-2016.The annex to table 3A of the excel tables provides an analysis of how much has been paid to individual companies through competitive and non-competitive contracts in 2015-16. The information for 2016-17 will be published later this year, in line with the planned Official Statistics release calendar. Updates will be published annually thereafter.

Type 45 Destroyers

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the Type 45 power improvement programme; and if he will publish a new timetable for that programme.

Harriett Baldwin: The Type 45 Power Improvement Project is being procured through competition. Subject to securing the necessary formal approval, our aim is to have completed the competitive process and be in a position to award the contract in early 2018.The programme cost and the timetable for completing the work will be determined at the main investment decision point.

Pakistan: Military Exercises

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what UK military (a) assets and (b) personnel took part in exercise AMAN 17 off the coast of Karachi, Pakistan in February 2017.

Mike Penning: The UK contributed one of our Type 45 Destroyers, HMS DARING, and her crew to the Pakistani Navy-hosted exercise AMAN 17 in February 2017.

Prestwick Airport

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any military flights landing at Prestwick Airport since 2013 have had munitions on board.

Mike Penning: It is a requirement of the Diplomatic Flight Clearance (DFC) process to state whether an aircraft is carrying any dangerous air cargo and the next destination. However DFC is not required for all military flights. Therefore, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold a complete record of all military flights wishing to enter UK airspace, its cargo and/or its destination airport.In addition, the MOD does not record whether a state aircraft flight has landed, which is a matter for individual airports.For UK military flights using Prestwick, the information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Aircraft

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department keeps records of the movements of foreign military flights that have landed in the UK after they leave UK airspace.

Mike Penning: For foreign military flights that are required to complete the Diplomatic Flight Clearance process prior to landing in the UK, it is a requirement of that process to state on the clearance request what the destination is for the next flight on departing UK Airspace.

Iraq and Syria: Military Intervention

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many officials of his Department have responsibility for investigating reports of civilian casualties as a result of UK airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.

Mike Penning: Expert analysts routinely examine data from every UK strike to assess its effect, with one of their priorities being to highlight any possible indications of civilian casualties or collateral damage. Any information on potential civilian casualties reported to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) by external parties is considered by staff in the MOD and the Permanent Joint Headquarters drawing on a wider cohort of expertise across the Department. The number of staff responsible and involved will vary depending on the circumstances of each case.

Islamic State: International Cooperation

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his (a) US counterpart and (b) other counterparts in the Global Coalition against Daesh on investigating civilian casualties.

Sir Michael Fallon: I speak regularly with the US Secretary of Defense and my other counterparts in the Global Coalition on the Counter Daesh campaign. All my counterparts recognise the importance of minimising civilian casualties in taking the fight to Daesh. The Coalition applies a rigorous targeting process to air strikes taking strict measures to minimise risk while providing the support needed on the ground and has shown that it will investigate any incidents reported to it.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment Schemes

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help people who wish to move from part-time to full-time employment.

Damian Hinds: The Department is continuing to modernise the way Jobcentre delivers its services and has given responsibility to Jobcentre Work Coaches - trusting them to assess the individual needs of people and offer the support they think is best. Jobcentre Work Coaches personalise the support they provide to claimants to help them find work and have the freedom and flexibility to support claimants based on their individual need. This includes helping claimants who wish to move from part-time to full-time employment. UC gives us the opportunity, for the first time, to support people who are in work to progress, and we are building the evidence base about what works through a large scale In Work Progression Randomised Control Trial, in order to find the best way of helping claimants to increase their earnings and become financially independent. Evaluation of this trial will be published in 2018.’ Universal Credit contains structural incentives to encourage people work more and earn more. It is simple and, as people’s earnings increase, there are no cliff edges, their payments reduce at a steady rate, so it is clear that they will always be better off working and earning more.

Access to Work Programme

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken under Access to Work for disabled people to receive the support packages they require; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: In 2014 Access to Work transformed its operational delivery, providing greater consistency and increased speed of customer service. Consequently, Access to Work delivery is now performing above its Key Performance Indicators, which are internal measures of performance. However, we are constantly considering ways to improve the customer journey and expedite the provision of support. For example: Last year we re-launched Access to Work as a digital service, allowing customers to apply online at a time of their choosing and taking an average of 20 minutes to do so. We are currently exploring what further online functionality could be offered. We have recently specified in new contracts to be awarded shortly that 90% of independent workplace assessments are to be delivered within 8 days rather than the current 10 days. We are also considering whether customers could have a longer window to apply in advance of receiving an employment start date from an employer, in order to ensure support is in place for the first day at work. We are currently working with employer and customer stakeholders to establish whether there is an optimum period. As a highly personalised grant scheme, Access to Work is reliant on correct information being received from customers and employers within set timeframes in order to calculate awards or make payments timeously. It is important to note that Access to Work provides grants on receipt of invoices to pay for items or services that are commissioned by employers or disabled employees and which may therefore be delivered to timeframes over which Access to Work has no control.

Personal Independence Payment

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of the use of cassette audio recording equipment during personal independence payment assessments.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department continuously looks for opportunities to improve the PIP claims process. As part of that, we are carrying out a small-scale pilot to test whether there are any benefits to audio recording face-to-face assessments. The pilot only began recently, on March 13; once the results have been processed and evaluated, we will be better placed to assess the efficacy of audio recording PIP assessments.

Universal Credit (Housing Costs Element for Claimants Aged 18 to 21) (Amendment) Regulations 2017

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2017 to Question 66566, on delegated legislation, what assessment he has made of the effect of those on people regulations with (a) protected characteristics, (b) aged 18 to 21- years old and (c) of each sexual orientation.

Caroline Nokes: I was provided with advice with respect to this measure which enabled me to comply with my Public Sector Equality Duty. I am satisfied there are no significant issues that were not sufficiently mitigated by the exemptions that we have put in place.

Personal Independence Payment

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the Government monitors whether the assessment criteria for personal independence payments are being accurately and fairly applied.

Penny Mordaunt: We are committed to ensuring that all Personal Independence Payment claimants receive high-quality and accurate assessments. The Department robustly monitors the performance of contracted suppliers and assessments are independently audited to ensure that assessment quality is accurate and fair. The audit supports this by confirming that independent health professional advice complies with the required standards and that it is clear and medically reasonable. It also provides assurance that advice provided to the Department's decision makers is of suitable quality, is fully explained and is justified.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Trade Competitiveness

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to assist the farming industry to become more competitive.

George Eustice: This Government is supporting the farming industry’s efforts to improve efficiency and competitiveness. Through the Agri-Tech Strategy launched in 2013, we have made a £140 million investment to increase the pace and scale of uptake of agricultural innovation by farmers. We are working with industry to treble the number of apprenticeships in food and farming by 2020, helping young people into an increasingly high-tech, rewarding sector. Excess regulations and red tape reduce the competitiveness of farmers. We have already cut 4,000 farm inspections this year and aim to remove 20,000 by 2020; by the end of this Parliament, we will have saved farm businesses £470 million worth of unnecessary costs. A total of £138 million is available in England between 2015 and 2020 under the LEADER scheme aimed at supporting farm productivity amongst other priorities. Leaving the EU provides us with an opportunity to redesign our agricultural policy so that it works for the UK, making farming more profitable, competitive and environmentally sustainable.

Dairy Farming: Research

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding her Department has provided for research into the dairy farming sector in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: The table below shows the total value of dairy focused science projects for each of the last 5 financial years. This does not include proposed spend for this financial year.   2012/20132013/20142014/20152015/20162016/2017£ 1,551,115£ 1,325,926£ 709,378£ 652,394£ 639,389 Savings from core Defra’s programme evidence budgets have contributed to reducing the fiscal deficit along with all areas within the department. Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser ensures investment in evidence is targeted at key priorities, offers value for money and maintains our critical capabilities required in emergencies. In addition, the primary responsibility for R&D funding for the dairy industry rests with AHDB Dairy which spends approximately £4.1 million a year on research and knowledge exchange.

Forests: Environmental Impact Assessment

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's Environmental Impact Assessment - Joint Technical Consultation, published on 14 December 2016, how many responses her Department received (a) in support of and (b) in opposition to, proposals to increase the Forestry Environmental Impact Assessment threshold in England; and when her Department plans to respond to that consultation.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We received 415 responses to the consultation question on afforestation thresholds. We are still considering the consultation responses and the Government will respond in due course.

Environment Agency: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many officials in the Environment Agency are employed to investigate businesses that are believed to have committed end of waste offences.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency has the equivalent of approximately 180 full-time officers who investigate all types of waste offences, including any relating to end of waste. The Government is committed to tackling waste crime:In 2015/16 the Environment Agency spent £14.8 million tackling waste crime.Approximately £23 million was allocated to the Environment Agency in the 2015 Spending Review specifically for tackling waste crime in England.

Livestock: Dogs

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the total cost to farmers in (a) the UK and (b) Yorkshire of dog attacks to livestock.

George Eustice: The Government is aware of the devastating effect that dog attacks on livestock can have for farmers and other livestock keepers including in terms of significant financial loss. Data on the total costs are not collected centrally. Defra and the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England (AHWBE) recently met police forces, farming and rural interests to discuss the situation. Under the auspices of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, five police forces are collaborating to pilot more systematic data collection of incidents and good response practices.

Fisheries: EU Law

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether EU fisheries regulation 1380/2013 will be rewritten in order to be transposed into UK domestic legislation.

George Eustice: We are currently analysing all EU fisheries legislation. No decision has yet been made on the extent to which the EU legislation governing the Common Fisheries Policy will be incorporated into domestic law.

Livestock: Dogs

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will consider increasing the penalties for dog attacks on livestock; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, the maximum penalty for dog attacks on livestock is a fine of up to £1000. Currently there are no plans to increase this penalty. As part of addressing dog attacks on livestock, Defra and the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England recently met police forces, and farming and rural interests to discuss the situation. Under the auspices of the National Police Chiefs’ Council five police forces are collaborating to pilot good response practices.

Slaughterhouses: Animal Welfare

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Questions 46848 and 46849, on slaughterhouses: animal welfare, whether she has undertaken investigations into any other factors contributing to the increased number of deaths recorded and the number of welfare breaches during transportation; and what steps she has taken to reduce such deaths and breaches.

George Eustice: Investigation into welfare incidents that occur at slaughterhouses are the responsibility of the FSA. Where welfare breaches are identified relating to the transportation of the animals at slaughterhouses, the FSA will notify the relevant Local Authority Trading Standards office which are responsible for enforcing the welfare of animals during transport legislation.Defra is currently working with local authorities and the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) to improve the enforcement action taken against transporters where animals are found to be injured or dead on arrival at a slaughterhouse. As part of this initiative, APHA have issued a number of warning letters to transporters, to explain that any further non-compliance identified at slaughterhouses would result in regulatory action being taken against them.

Home Office

Offenders: Deportation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of prisoners recommended for deportation have been (i) deported and (ii) released and not deported in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The current published data for returns of foreign national offenders can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/593036/returns5-q4-2016-tables.ods

Asylum: Maternity Benefits

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many days on average it takes between receipt of an application claiming asylum in the UK and the date of first payment of (a) maternity grant, (b) maternity allowance and (c) maternity pay.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Details of the support available to asylum seekers including payments toward the costs arising from the birth of a new baby can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/asylum-support/overview Information on the average length of time between asylum application and maternity payment is not routinely collected and could only be provided by examination of individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Immigrants

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many EU nationals were detained in prison under immigration powers in each quarter of (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The following link provides published data issued by the Ministry of Justice as at 31 December 2016. Data regarding foreign nationals detained in prison can be found in tab 1.6. Data on specific nationalities can be found in tab 1.7. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/585874/prison-population-31-dec-2016.xlsx

Police: Convictions

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers were convicted of a criminal offence in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not hold the information requested centrally. The Home Office collects and publishes information on the outcomes of criminal investigations involving police officers, following a public complaint or internal conduct allegation. These data were first collected for the 2015/16 financial period. The Home Office does not hold data on criminal investigations that took place prior to 01/04/2015. Data on the outcomes of criminal investigations in 2015/16 can be found in the misconduct section of the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales

Immigration Controls

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether reforms to the UK's immigration rules will be within the scope of negotiations on the UK's future relationship with the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government published its White Paper, “The United Kingdom’s exit from and new partnership with European Union” on 2 February. It provides a comprehensive articulation of the objectives and the rationale for our approach to the forthcoming negotiations. As we conduct the negotiations to leave the EU, it must be a priority to regain more control of the numbers of people who come here from Europe. We are about to begin these negotiations and it would be wrong to set out further positions in advance. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.

HM Treasury

Government Departments: Impact Assessment

John Healey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance government departments receive on when they are (a) required and (b) encouraged to conduct an impact assessment.

Mr David Gauke: HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance applies to the appraisal of all proposals that require use of public resources or assessment of public value. The Green Book also applies to the appraisal of value in Regulatory Impact Assessments. BEIS provides specific guidance for Regulatory Impact Assessments, which are mandatory for any measure that has a significant regulatory impact on business and civil society organisations.

Married People: Tax Allowances

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department spent on marriage allowance in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much his Department has allocated for marriage allowance in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c) the next three years.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the income decile profile is of claimants of (a) marriage allowance and (b) married couple's allowance.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in receipt of universal credit (a) are eligible for and (b) claim the marriage allowance.

Jane Ellison: The Marriage Allowance was introduced in 2015-16 to recognise the importance of marriage in the tax system. Around 1.8m people have claimed the allowance to date. Our current best estimate assessment of the initial cost of this allowance is £140m in 2015-16, but this does not include the impact of any expected future claims, which can be backdated to this year. The total cost of this allowance is forecast to rise to £385m in 2015-16 once these claims are taken into account. An estimate of the initial cost of this allowance for 2016-17 will not be available until the end of the tax year. We forecast an eventual cost to the exchequer of £425m, once all backdated claims are taken into account. HM Treasury does not hold information relating to the income deciles of claimants or successful applicants of the Marriage Allowance. Previous analysis of the total eligible population has shown the majority of the benefits of this policy go to the bottom half of the income distribution. Only basic rate taxpayers and non-taxpayers will benefit. HM Treasury does not hold information about either how many individuals claiming Universal Credit are eligible for the Marriage Allowance, or how many are in receipt of it. The income decile profile of claimants of Married Couple's Allowance is set out below for the latest year available (2014-15):  PercentagePercentile Groups (ranged on total income before tax)  0-10%10-20%20-30%30-40%40-50%50-60%60-70%70-80%80-90%90-100%  2014-150.20.516.919.315.712.711.59.96.96.5 These estimates are based upon the 2014-15 Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI).

Landfill Communities Fund

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the diversion rate for the Landfill Communities Fund prior to the introduction of the Spring Budget 2017.

Jane Ellison: Since its introduction in 1996, the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) has contributed over £1.4 billion to community projects. The value for money provided by the LCF is assessed in the same manner as all other Government funding. Despite difficult decisions on spending, at Budget 2017 the Government decided to maintain the value of the LCF at £39.3 million for 2017-18. This means the cap on contributions from landfill operators has increased from 4.2% to 5.3%. The Government expects to maintain this 5.3% cap for future years, but this expectation assumes we see continued progress from environmental bodies in reducing administrative costs and the level of unspent funds.

Treasury: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on how many occasions his Department took longer than 30 working days to respond to a freedom of information request in each month since July 2016.

Simon Kirby: I refer the hon. Member to my Answer of 23 March 2017 to PQ UIN 68052.

North Sea Oil

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.29 of Spring Budget 2017, if he will make it his policy to engage with non-industry representatives, including non-governmental organisations with expertise in environmental, energy and consumer rights issues when consulting on the formation of future North Sea oil and gas policy.

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.29 of Spring Budget 2017, when he plans to publish the formal discussion paper on the allowing of transfers of tax history between buyers and sellers of North Sea oil and gas assets.

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.29 of Spring Budget 2017, by what criteria members will be appointed to the new advisory panel on oil and gas tax policy; and when he plans for that new advisory panel to be established.

Jane Ellison: The Government published the discussion paper “Tax issues for late-life oil and gas assets” on 20 March. This considers whether any changes to the oil and gas tax rules could facilitate the transfer of late life assets and support the Government’s aim of Maximising Economic Recovery from the UK’s oil and gas reserves. The discussion paper is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tax-issues-for-late-life-oil-and-gas-assets The Government recognises the importance of engaging fully with individuals, practitioners, businesses and other organisations in considering developments in tax policy. We welcome responses from all interested parties to this document. The Government will establish a panel of industry experts to consider the tax issues identified in the paper. It will consist of upstream oil and gas tax experts, tax practitioners and businesses with considerable experience of late-life oil and gas asset transactions. The terms of reference for the expert panel have been published alongside the discussion paper. The panel will be established shortly.

Corporation Tax

Jonathan Edwards: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on corporation tax receipts of UK companies creating headquarter subsidiaries in EU countries after the UK exits the EU.

Jane Ellison: Exiting the EU will present both opportunities and challenges, but the UK will remain an open country, and an attractive location to invest and do business, in part due to our competitive tax regime and access to skilled talent. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility’s March forecast projected corporation tax receipts to increase from £53.6bn in 2016-17 to £54.7bn in 2021-22.

Budget March 2017

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table 2.1, line 46 of the Budget 2016, whether that measure has been incorporated in the Spring Budget 2017 document as line p in table 2.2 of that document.

Jane Ellison: The measure in line 46 of Table 2.1 in the Budget 2016 document entitled “Value Added Tax: tackling overseas trader evasion” has not been incorporated in the Spring Budget 2017 document as line ‘p’ in Table 2.2 of Spring Budget 2017 which is entitled “Offshore Tax: close loopholes and improve reporting”. These are two different measures. The measure in line 46 of Table 2.1 in the Budget 2016 document has been re-costed and is presented in line ‘as’ of Table 2.2 in the Spring Budget 2017 with the same title as when the measure was originally announced (“Value Added Tax: tackling overseas trader evasion”).

Tax Yields

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table 2.1, line 40 of the Budget 2016, and line v of table 2.2 of the Spring Budget 2017, for what reasons the predicted increase in tax under that measure has decreased from £265 million in the Budget 2016 document to £20 million in the Spring Budget 2017 document for 2017-18; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Table 2.1, line 40 of the Budget 2016 and line v of table 2.2 of the Spring Budget 2017 relate to different policy measures. The relevant entry in table 2.2 of the Spring Budget 2017 is line aq. This differs from the entry in Table 2.1 of the Budget 2016 as a result of improvements to the methodology used to estimate the Exchequer impact of the measure. This change was certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Corporation Tax

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table 2.1, line 23 of the Budget 2016, how much additional corporation tax was raised in 2016-17 under that measure; and what estimate he has made of the change to the 2017-18 tax level against the baseline projection contained in that table.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table 2.1, line 20 of the Budget 2016, how much additional corporation tax was raised in 2016-17 from withholding tax on royalties; and what estimate he has made of the change to the 2017-18 tax level against the baseline projection contained in that table.

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table 2.1, line 21 of the Budget 2016, how much additional corporation tax was raised in 2016-17 under that measure; and what estimate he has made of the change to the 2017-18 tax level against the baseline projection contained in that table.

Jane Ellison: The period of account for 2016-17 closes on 31 March for Corporation Tax payers and 5 April for individuals. Relevant receipts data for these measures in this year is not yet available and will be finalised over the following months. Budget 2017 projections of 2017-18 tax receipts factor in tax receipts to date for 2016-17, operational information, OBR certified costings and any changes to the OBR’s economic growth projections.

Corporation Tax

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table 2.2, line j of the Budget 2016, how much additional corporation tax was raised in 2016-17 from retaining the diesel supplement for company car tax until 2021; and what estimate he has made of the change to the 2017-18 tax level against the baseline projection contained in that table.

Jane Ellison: Company car tax revenues do not affect corporation tax. The Office of Budget Responsibility has included the following scorecards in its Policy Measures database for the retention of the diesel supplement until 2021: http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/download/policy-measures-database/  2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-22Income Tax0+200+200+200+195+195+203NICs0+80+75+75+70+70+73

Debts

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2017 to Question 66604, on debts, when the Government first committed to exploring a breathing space scheme; and when he expects to provide an update.

Simon Kirby: In its response to the Independent Review of the Money Advice Service (March 2015), the coalition government agreed to review the legal framework for debt administration, and to consider the impacts of additional statutory protections for consumers. The government is looking carefully at a breathing space scheme, and fully supports the principles of better debt management and lower levels of problem debt. However, a breathing space scheme could have cost implications, and any new spending proposals must be considered carefully. The government will continue to look into the options for a breathing space scheme.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, on how many occasions his Department took longer than 30 working days to respond to a freedom of information request in each month since July 2016.

Mr Robin Walker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 22 March 2017 to the Question 68043. The Cabinet Office publishes FOI statistics on behalf of the whole of the government. FOI statistics do not refer to requests responded to within 30 days as the statutory deadline is 20 days.FOI statistics are Official Statistics and are governed by the standards set out by the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) in their Code of Practice. To publish information outside of the release timetable would be a breach of Protocol 2 of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.The latest Freedom of Information statistics were published in December 2016 and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/freedom-of-information-statistics-july-to-september-2016--2

Department for International Trade

Exports: Yorkshire and the Humber

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many companies in (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) the City of York exported goods or services to (i) other EU countries and (ii) non-EU countries in each year since 2005.

Greg Hands: The number of businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber exporting goods to EU and non-EU countries since 2005 is available in the HMRC Regional Trade Statistics. Data for 2013 to 2016:https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/RTS/RTS%20Releases/RTS_Q2_2016.xls (Table 3, CE) Data for 2009 to 2012:https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/RTS/RTS%20Releases/RtsQ42012.xls (Table 3, CE) Data for 2005 to 2008:https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/RTS/RTS%20Releases/RtsPR_Qtrly4_2008.pdf (Table 3) Source: HMRC Regional Trade Statistics Data on goods exporters from the City of York are not available. Data on services exporters, by UK region or city and EU/non-EU, are not available.

Department for International Trade: Freedom of Information

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, on how many occasions his Department took longer than 30 working days to respond to a freedom of information request in each month since July 2016.

Greg Hands: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade, of 24 March to UIN: 68048.

Manufacturing Industries: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on the Welsh automotive sector when the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy officials are working together to get the best possible deal for the UK automotive industry, including in Wales. The Government will continue its longstanding programme of support for the competitiveness of our automotive industry, including pursuing a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement with the EU that provides the greatest possible tariff-free and frictionless trade in goods and services.

Foreign Investment in UK: Asia

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on direct foreign trade investment from (a) Japan and (b) Korea when the UK leaves the EU.

Greg Hands: This Department, working with officials across government, continues to undertake a wide range of analysis covering the entirety of the UK economy and our relationship with the EU.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Sports: Governing Bodies

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of national governing bodies of sport which have fewer than 25 per cent of women on their boards; and if she will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: According to figures collected recently by Women in Sport, 35% of organisations which are funded by Sport England and/or UK Sport have fewer than 25% women on their boards. This includes Chief Executives, Non-Executive Directors and Chairs. Further information is provided in Women in Sport's Beyond 30% report, which was published in March 2017 (https://www.womeninsport.org/resources/beyond-30-report). The new Code for Sports Governance published by Sport England and UK Sport last October requires funded organisations to adopt a target of, and take all appropriate actions to encourage, a minimum of 30% of each gender on its board. This new governance code will be mandatory for all sport bodies seeking public funding from April this year. Where a National Governing Body does not comply with the code and is seeking funding from Sport England or UK Sport, it needs to agree with the funding body an action plan which sets out how and by when they will become compliant with that requirement at the earliest possible date.

British Telecom: Non-domestic Rates

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the implications for telecoms rating of the separation of Openreach into a separate company; and whether that separation will enable BT's business rates liability to be assessed in the same way as its competitors.

Matt Hancock: Rateable values are set independently by the Valuation Office Agency. All telecom networks are assessed for business rates in the normal way to the common standard of rateable value.

Department of Health

Ambulance Services: ICT

Mrs Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using intelligent conveyancing systems to assist ambulance services in taking patients to the most appropriate hospital; and which ambulance services in England do not operate such systems.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected centrally. National Health Service ambulance trusts are responsible for the operational response to emergency 999 calls. NHS Improvement work with trusts to support the uptake of new technologies where there is evidence that they support good practice.London Ambulance Service uses an intelligent conveyancing system, which is subject to regular review.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will require all ambulance trusts to report and publish data on all the tail breaches for which it is responsible.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish ambulance trust performance figures relating to green graded calls.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England is considering how to improve the way that ambulance services respond to 999 calls. This will include the way data is collected, reported and published. Any new measures will be intended to be easier to understand and more meaningful to patients.

G4S: Ambulance Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of ambulance staff are employed by G4S.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information is not available. NHS Digital publishes data on ambulance staff employed by the National Health Service in England on a monthly basis. The data for those employed by G4S is not collected.

Health: Screening

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the Government has made of trends in the number of routine annual health checks undertaken in the last five years; and what estimate has been made of the effect on the NHS budget of such trends.

David Mowat: The trends in NHS Health Check in England are assessed every quarter, using data submitted by local authorities. These trends are published at:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/nhs-health-check-detailed/data Cost-benefit modelling estimates the cost of the programme to be £332 million each year at full roll out with the average annual benefit to be £3.678 billion. The estimated savings to the National Health Service budget nationally are around £57 million over four years, rising to £176 million over a 15-year period. The National Institute for Health Research has launched a call for applications to review the health gain and cost effectiveness of the NHS Health Check.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England takes steps to purchase the vaccine for Meningococcal B annually from drug manufacturers in sufficient quantities to ensure value for money; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: The Meningococcal B vaccine is not purchased by NHS England on an annual basis. The vaccine is centrally procured by Public Health England on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health. Sufficient volume is procured to meet the requirements of the national programme.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the incentives are for each NHS Trust and Foundation Trust to meet the target of seeing 95 per cent of accident and emergency patients within four hours in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18 and (c) 2018-19 onwards.

Mr Philip Dunne: As set out in The Sustainability and Transformation Fund and Financial Control Totals for 2016/17: Methodology document published by NHS Improvement in March 2016, where trusts meet their agreed finance control totals, 12.5% of the total Sustainability and Transformation Funding was awarded to trusts for achieving against agreed accident and emergency performance trajectories in 2016/17. Further detail on Sustainability and Transformation funding for 2017/18 will be set out by NHS Improvement shortly. No decisions have been taken in respect of 2018/19 onwards.

Hospital Wards: Gender

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress the Government is making on eliminating mixed sex wards in the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: This Government believes that all patients deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and has made it clear that providers of National Health Service funded care are expected to eliminate mixed-sex accommodation (MSA), except where this is in the overall best interest of the patient, or reflects their personal choice. The NHS constitution states that patients admitted to hospital will not have to share sleeping accommodation with patients of the opposite sex, except where appropriate. There are often legitimate reasons why people might be placed in mixed wards or bays because the need to treat a patient safely and urgently must take priority. In such cases, the breach should be rectified as soon as possible. The number of breaches of MSA guidance has fallen from almost 12,000 in December 2010 to only 710 last month, a reduction of 94%.

Mental Health Services

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which mental health treatment centres (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have visited in an official capacity in 2016-17 to date; which Minister made each such visit; and on what date each such visit took place.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which care homes (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have visited in an official capacity in 2016-17 to date; which Minister made each such visit; and on what date each such visit took place.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have visited in an official capacity in 2016-17 to date; which Minister made each such visit; and on what date each such visit took place.

David Mowat: A list of visits to mental health, care homes and hospital services undertaken by Ministers since 1 April 2016 is attached. It is not possible to provide a definitive breakdown of all mental health services visited as they may be co-located with other services and were not recorded separately. The same applies for some care settings.



PQ69102 attached document
(Word Document, 24.14 KB)

Palliative Care

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2017 to Question 64065, on palliative care, what discussions he has had with NICE on extending the end of life criteria for treatments from two to three years.

David Mowat: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health regularly meets with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to discuss a wide range of policy and delivery issues.

Care Homes: Closures

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many care homes have closed since 23 November 2016.

David Mowat: In England, there were 16,481 care homes with 459,579 care home beds on 1 December 2016, and 16,411 care homes with 459,717 care home beds on 1 March 2017. This represents a reduction of 70 care homes but an increase of 138 care home beds. The Care Act 2014 placed duties on local authorities making them responsible for ensuring there is an effective pool of quality providers of social care in their area with capacity to meet the needs of their local population. The Department is supporting local authorities to influence their local market through improved market facilitation and commissioning to ensure that local markets are effective. The Department has worked with Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, Local Government Association, the care sector and other partners to produce a wide range of guidance and support about market shaping and commissioning. We have brought this together in an on-line Hub that is now published on GOV.UK. The Department continues to monitor capacity and effectiveness of the market.

NHS: ICT

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made towards his target of making the NHS paperless by 2018.

Nicola Blackwood: Good progress on personalised health and care 2020 has been made towards a paperless National Health Service. Over the past four years, digital technologies have delivered tens of millions of pounds of efficiencies (cost and time savings) to the system, reduced running costs and supported digital transformation across the system. For example, a new e-Referral service enabling doctors and patients to book appointments has realised savings of £10 million in the first year of operation.Free wi-fi in general practitioner (GP) surgeries has been rolled out across approximately 1,000 surgeries in 29 clinical commissioning group areas. By the end of March 2015, online booking of appointments, ordering of repeat prescriptions and access to summary information in patients’ records was available in over 95% of GP practices. Over 55.1 million people now have a Summary Care Record – representing 96% of the population.At the end of December 2016, 9.2 million people were registered for appointments booking online and 9 million people registered online for repeat prescriptions. Since March 2016, 98% of GP practices have been able to offer access to detailed coded information in patients’ records (consultations, test results, problems and diagnoses).A new NHS apps library is being developed to support people to better manage their own health and from September this year a new online service, NHS.UK, will provide a platform from which patients can interact with the NHS online in one place.Finally, 12 acute trusts have embarked on a process to become Global Digital Exemplars – internationally recognised care providers delivering exceptional care, through the world-class use of digital technology and information flows, both within and beyond their organisational boundary.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Brexit

Maria Eagle: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2017 to Question 65642, on Government Equalities Office: Brexit, what (a) EU agencies and other organisations are within her Department's remit, (b) staff time was spent on engagement with those bodies and (c) financial resources were spent on engagement with those bodies in 2015-16.

Caroline Dinenage: The European Institute for Gender Equality and the Fundamental Rights Agency are within the Government Equalities Office remit. The Government Equalities Office engages with a range of stakeholders. We do not disaggregate the time and resource spent on this engagement.